


Left Behind

by lannisterslioness



Series: Left Behind [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Poe left Rey on Jakku, Stranded, Tumblr Prompt, changing timelines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-14 00:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannisterslioness/pseuds/lannisterslioness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn’t believe he’d actually ever see her again, but there she was as plain as day. Still dressed as he had last saw her, her hair the same way, and she was beautiful.</p><p>***</p><p>Based off of this prompt I got on tumblr from lighthousespectrum: what if the reason Poe hesitated going to Rey and talking to her is because he's partially responsible for her being "abandoned" in Jakku? What if when he was still a young pilot he helped leave Rey in Jakku as a means to "save" her from Jedi turned Sith, Ben/Kylo Ren. Ben wanted to kill Rey as she would one day become a threat to the Sith. Rey's parents (whether or not it's Luke, etc) thus enlist the young pilot and family friend to help save Rey by hiding her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I LOVED this prompt from the moment I got it, it was just such a good idea. But I'm going to need your help on this one guys, as it is - technically - this story fills the prompt. However, I'm considering making it multi-chapter, kinda flashing back and forth between the past and present showing a bit more back story that may explain some hints I planted in this chapter. So if you guys want me to write more chapters of this fic let me know! I've already got some ideas cooked up ;)

**_Present Day_ **

 

    He didn’t believe he’d actually ever see her again, but there she was as plain as day. Still dressed as he had last saw her, her hair the same way, and she was beautiful. Poe thought about approaching her as soon as she stepped off the Millennium Falcon, he saw the look of shock on her face, he didn’t know if it was from seeing him or from what she had just gone through with Finn being wheeled away to the medical bay. Poe was frozen in his spot, he wanted to embrace Rey and never let her go again, but he just couldn’t bring himself to move. 

 

* * *

  
  
  


**_10 Years Ago_ **

 

    Poe had been out on a few missions before for the Republic, head to a few planets and pick up a few people or things that were important - nothing big since they were still testing out his skills. This mission however was his first  _ real _ mission, or so he thought in his head that this one counted the most so far. He'd been paired up with a Resistance pilot, Aliciya Hulewinn, to carry out the mission they'd been tasked with - take the mysterious nine year old girl who arrived not long ago to Jakku, the junkyard planet. Poe expected someone to be going with her, maybe even Aliciya was supposed to stay with her, but once he realized they were leaving a little girl to fend for herself for some “classified” reason, he became hesitant about the job at hand. 

 

    “She's only nine years old.” Poe tried to appeal to his partner for the mission. “We can't just leave a nine year old on Jakku.”

 

    “We do as we’re told, Dameron. No way around it.” Aliciya stated, she was just as cold as everyone else who had given him the mission, he supposed they had to be considering the mission was leaving a nine year old left behind. 

 

    He tried his best to be as calloused as Aliciya, he tried not to think about what they had to do, but he made the mistake of meeting the girl they were transporting and he knew he couldn't be like everyone else. She was tiny and so fragile looking, her long brown hair tied up in three buns, her hazel eyes curiously taking in everything around her but never saying a word, she liked to watch the pilots Poe discovered, and when he approached her in his flight suit, she couldn't help but watch his every move until he sat down in front of her. 

 

    “What's your name?” Poe asked her, being sure to give her the space she wanted, though trying to be far friendlier than everyone else she had encountered. 

 

    “Rey.” She answered quietly. “What's your name?”

 

    “I'm Poe Dameron.” He gave her a warm smile and she smiled back right away. 

 

    “Are you a pilot?” Rey asked, her fear subsiding right away as her child-like curiosity took over. 

 

    “I am.” Poe answered. “What about you?” 

 

    “I want to be a pilot!” Rey exclaimed excitedly. “I want to fly all around the entire galaxy.” 

 

    “Maybe someday you will.” Poe assured her. 

 

    “Dameron,” Aliciya called out. “We’ve got to get ready to go.” 

 

    Aliciya was a good fifteen years older than Poe, she’d been with the Resistance for a long time, even though their supposed time of peace. She had short brown hair and dark brown eyes and olive skin, if she smiled a bit more Poe would almost say she reminded him of his mother, but Aliciya was always about business and getting the mission done, that much he had learned about her over the past few days. 

 

    “Can I stay with you?” Rey whispered to him, glaring at Aliciya and hoping she wouldn’t hear. “She scares me.” 

 

    “Sure.” Poe smirked and took her hand, walking out with Rey clinging to his side as they passed Aliciya. 

 

    They had told him not to get attached to  _ the girl _ , they had told him what they had to do and where she was going to be, but Poe couldn’t help it. The minute he saw her he couldn’t just detach himself as Aliciya seemed to do so easily, Rey was just a kid and she was about to go through something no kid should ever have to go through. 

 

* * *

  
  


    Jakku was hot and dry, Poe had passed by there a few times before, and it was never a place he wanted to intentionally stay. The planet was a junkyard, filled with scavengers and outlaws, not to mention the strange creatures that came out at night. It was no place for a child, certainly not for a child left on their own; taking in the desert planet only made Poe feel worse about what they were doing. He didn't know where she was going to stay or who was going to take care of her, but he had bonded with Rey, and seeing tears start to fall down her cheeks only made it worse. 

 

    “You bonded with her, didn't you?” Aliciya asked, leaning up against the freighter, and watching the little girl from afar try to fight against the beast that was holding her.

 

    “She's just a kid.” Poe answered. “Isn't there somewhere else in the entire galaxy she could go?” 

 

    “She's safe here, the Republic and Resistance have confirmed that. The priority is to make sure The First Order doesn't get their hands on her, and here on Jakku they won't.” Aliciya answered. 

 

    “POE!” Rey shouted out, trying to break away from her captor and run right back to him. 

 

    “Clean break is the best.” Aliciya sighed. 

 

    Poe knew she was right, turning away from Rey would have been easier, but he was attached and there was no turning back. He walked over to her before jogging back to her and hugging her tightly. 

 

    “I'll come back for you, I promise.” Poe told her, he didn't want to leave her behind, but he had no other choice. “You've just got to be strong for now, okay?”

 

    “Okay.” Rey buried her face into the crook of his neck to wipe away her tears and nodded. “You’ll come back?” 

 

    “I’ve never broken a promise before, and I’m sure as hell not starting now.” Poe grinned as he pulled away. “It’ll be okay Rey, just be strong and I’ll come back for you when I can.” 

 

    Rey didn’t say anything else, she just nodded, the brute beside her taking her hand again to hold her in place and keep her from running off. Poe wanted to snap at him and tell him to be gentle, she was a little kid being left behind on a strange planet with nothing and no one, all for the sake of some “classified” protection. Whoever they were hiding her from, Poe knew they had to be someone powerful in The First Order - a captain, a general, possibly even the leader of The First Order himself. But she was supposed to be safe here, and Poe believed that no one would cast a second glance at a place like Jakku, but he didn’t want to leave. Rising to his full height again, Poe stared down at Rey, he wanted to stay, he wanted to make sure she would be okay, there were so many things that were horrible about this situation and all he wanted to do was to try and make it better. 

 

    “We’ve got to go, Dameron!” Aliciya called out. 

 

    “I’ll see you soon.” Poe promised her one last time before turning around and walking away from her, every step away from her felt like his feet were being weighed down by bricks. 

 

    He reached the ship, he could hear Rey shouting out to him, tears streaking her cheeks, he’d made his promise but she was just a scared kid. 

 

    “We did all we could.” Aliciya sighed, showing some actual regret for the situation for the first time today. “She’s strong, she’ll be fine. Most of all she’ll be hidden - that’s what counts.” 

 

    The last thing Poe remembered as he boarded the freighter was the sounds of Rey desperately trying to call out to him, trying to get him to take her away from this horrible planet. The guilt of leaving her there never left him. 

 

* * *

  
  


**_Present Day_ **

 

    Rey took a few steps towards him, her eyes fixated on him in disbelief. It had been so long since she had last seen the pilot, she almost couldn’t believe her eyes. 

 

    “I, uh...hi.” Poe answered awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. 

 

    “Hi.” Rey’s voice was just barely a whisper. 

  
    She didn’t wait for him to say another word, instead she lunged right for him, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tightly to her, something she hadn’t done in a long time, and it was something she missed so desperately on her long and lonely nights on Jakku. Rey didn’t mean to start crying as soon as she held him, but after all she’d been through in the past few days, after all she had just seen and lost, she couldn’t hold it any longer and Poe’s arms safely around her finally let her emotions be set free. He was here - her pilot was here - and for the first time in a long time, Rey finally felt safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, chapter two is finally done! I'm kinda loving writing this story with the whole back and forth of the time lines, I'm really getting into this one. Hopefully I'll have another chapter done soon!

**_5 Years Ago_ **

 

    Poe came back, he always came back as he promised. Every few months Rey would watch for him over the sand dunes, his little droid who Rey had befriended - BB-8 - would always be in tow as well. He would bring her odds and ends from wherever he had gone in the galaxy, a way for Rey to see the other worlds without taking her into harm's way, though she always tried to convince Poe to take her off of Jakku. He’d tell her stories from all around the galaxy to keep her curiosity satisfied, Poe had started picking up so more interesting stories ever since joining the Resistance, Rey always loved his stories of the dogfights he’d get wrapped up in, shooting TIE fighters right out of the blue. Today, Rey was expecting another day visit from Poe, eagerly waiting on top of the AT-AT and looking towards the sky, her old Resistance fighter pilot helmet on that she had found on in the wreckages she scavenged from. She waited, and waited, and finally the sun was beginning to set by the time she saw his X-Wing land just a few feet away from her home. 

 

    Rey tore the helmet off, leaving it at the entrance to the AT-AT, before running off towards the ship, BB-8 being dismounted first before Poe climbed out, looking as if he’d just gone through a battle, but still putting a grin on his face once he saw Rey waiting. 

 

    “What happened?” Rey questioned, BB-8 being the first to answer with his string of fast-paced and panicked chirps. “An engine failure?” Rey questioned as BB-8 beeped a yes in response. “Poe, you could have almost died!” She harassed him now as he dismounted from the ship, hitting the sand with a thud. 

 

    “But I didn’t.” Poe counted with a grin. “Still alive, still in one piece.” 

 

    “Barely.” Rey mumbled as she hugged him tightly, he had to cover the grunt of pain he wanted to let out, the bumps and bruises from nearly crashing catching up to him now. “I guess you can’t stay very long, huh?” 

 

    “It’ll be fine.” Poe sighed. “I can stay for a while.” 

 

    “Good.” Rey cheered up as she parted from him. “Come on, I have to show you all the stuff I found today.” She happily tugged on his arm and lead him down into the AT-AT. 

 

    Poe followed, as always, with an unfaltering smile. He had to admire Rey for her perseverance, she made the best out of a horrible situation, and while she was alone most of the time, she loved being able to have genuine company more than anything else - she’d told him more than enough times. 

 

* * *

  
  


    “You’ve still got this thing?” Poe asked while trying to stifle a yawn, holding up the doll Rey made ages ago to look like a Resistance pilot. 

 

    “It’s my good luck charm.” Rey protested, snatching the doll from his hands and returning it to it’s rightful place on the shelf next to her makeshift bed. 

 

    Sometimes Poe forgot that Rey was still young, she was about fourteen now, but she still clung to that doll since the first time he came back for her. He still remembered the first time she had shown it to him after he returned to her two months after being left on Jakku, she was   so proud and so happy of what she had done. 

 

    “Has it been working?” Poe asked with a smirk. 

 

   “You’re still standing, so I guess it has.” Rey shrugged, turning her face away almost instantly and busying herself with something else. 

 

    Poe had a suspicion that Rey had developed a small crush on him over time, as soon as she hit thirteen she would act a bit differently. He found it a bit adorable in all honesty, she tried so hard to hide how she felt and in the end he knew exactly how she felt. Poe cared about her, he did, but it was a different type of care, and Poe just hoped it would stay that way for as long as it could. 

 

    “Better guard that thing then.” Poe laughed. “I don’t want my luck to run out just yet.” 

 

    “I will.” Rey promised. 

 

    The rest of the night went by fairly quiet until the creatures that lurked around at night came out and started their noise. Poe told Rey all about the battle he faced earlier in the day and how many TIE fighters he took down. Her eyes were slowly drifting shut until she heard Poe and BB-8 rustling around the place, trying to leave as quietly as they could. 

 

    “Can you stay?” Rey asked in a half-groggy tone, sleep just barely eluding her. 

 

    “I’ve got to get back.” Poe sighed, kneeling beside her in bed. “They need me back at the base.” 

 

    “I don’t want to be alone.” Rey protested, he knew if she had been more awake that she would have protested his leaving more heavily. But she reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to tug him closer to her. 

 

    “You’re not alone, I’ll come back, I always do.” Poe brushed some hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

 

    “Promise?” Rey asked with a yawn. 

 

    “I promise.” Poe assured her. “Get some sleep, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, okay?” 

 

    “Okay.” Rey nodded. 

 

    Poe grabbed the blanket from around her waist and pulled it up to cover her better, tucking her in and smiling as he watched her drift off to a peaceful sleep. Once he was sure she was out, Poe got up and walked out with BB-8, careful to not make a sound and return to his X-Wing. 

 

* * *

  
  


**_Present Day_ **

 

    Rey was exhausted, and after everything that Poe knew she had gone through, he couldn’t even piece together how she was still standing. Leia had asked him to bring her to one of the empty quarters in the base so she could get some sleep, though Rey insisted for the first hour to check on Finn until she was falling asleep on Poe’s shoulder. Eventually, Poe carried her into her quarters, gently laying her down on her bed, brushing her hair aside, and pressing a kiss to her temple as he always did - it had become a habit that Poe couldn’t shake. As soon as BB-8 entered the room with a loud chirp, not knowing that Rey was asleep, she turned over in bed and woke up, her tired eyes adjusting to the lack of light in the room. 

 

    “Where am I?” Rey asked sleepily. 

 

    “Just get some rest Rey, I brought you to your room, you’re dead on your feet.” Poe was whispering, hoping the quiet tone of his voice wouldn’t wake her up too much. 

 

    “Can I stay with you?” Rey asked, reaching out and taking his hand, tugging on it as she always did when she wanted him to stay with her. 

 

    Poe hesitated for a moment, thinking it through, and instead of laying beside her he scooping her up in his arms again and carried her out of the room, bringing her to his quarters not that far away and resting her down on the bed. 

 

    “My bed is comfier.” Poe admitted with a sheepish grin before lying beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist and pulling her close. 

 

    Rey turned around in his arms, a small smile on her face as she tilted her head up to press a few butterfly kisses to his jawline before snuggling into his chest, relishing the warmth that was radiating off of him and the comfort she got from finally not being alone. Poe loved having Rey close to him now, it felt almost wrong not to have her by his side for the longest time, but here she was, in one piece and finally getting some much needed relaxation. He could hear BB-8 rolling into his usual corner before entering low-power mode to take a nap of his own. Poe was more than sure that he was going to lose Rey; after the battle on Jakku, after hearing she was captured by Kylo Ren, he was sure he would never see her again. But she was here and in his arms, she was finally safe - maybe even for the first time in her life, and he had no intentions of letting her go anytime soon. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I couldn't wait to get another chapter of this story done, it's easily become one of my favorites to write, I hope you guys enjoy it!

**_3 Years Ago_ **

 

    Rey knew how to defend herself, she had to quickly learn how to do so after being left to live on a planet like Jakku where anyone was more than happy to take anything from someone who couldn’t defend it - it was like living on a planet filled with vultures. Poe, however, liked to  _ ensure _ that Rey knew how to defend herself from anything, whether it be from something bigger or smaller than her, she had to know how to keep herself safe. When she was younger, Poe started teaching her from the moment he came back for her the first time, teaching her the basics and slowly increasing the difficulty the older she got. She was sixteen now, and she’d made herself a bow staff to easily knock people off their feet and aide her in fighting since she was so small in size, but Poe was more than sure that she could easily kick his ass now after all she learned. With Poe’s visits having to become shorter as his need in the Resistance grew, he couldn’t train Rey as often as he liked, but now that he knew she had a better handle on herself, he tested her every once in a while before he’d have to go. 

 

    “You sure?” Rey asked, her bow staff tight in her grip and a smirk on her face, she’d certainly gotten more confident in her fighting skills since he last remembered. 

 

    “I can take it.” Poe grinned. He was going in with no weapons, he couldn’t handle many weapons past a blaster since that was what he used whenever on the ground, and the X-Wing was equipped with it’s own blasters. 

 

    Rey lunged at him without a second though, her bow staff going right for his legs in an attempt to knock him down, but Poe managed to jump it just in time, narrowly missing the staff. Poe tried to swing a punch right to her gut that Rey blocked easily with her staff, knocking his fist out of the way. The two danced around each other for a moment, trying to find a weakness in the other, and before Poe could even think something out, Rey charged him and knocked him flat on his back. She’d won, Poe knew that, but just to get a quick laugh, he tripped her up, the bow staff landing the sand beside him and Rey tumbling on top of him, her hands on either side of him keeping her from collapsing on top of him. 

 

    “Better watch your step there.” Poe laughed, he could hear BB-8 beeping in protest after spotting what Poe did, but it only made him laugh more and Rey blush. 

 

    “You tripped me!” She scolded him. 

 

    “Maybe.” Poe shrugged. “It is something that could happen in a fight though.” 

 

    “Keep telling yourself that, you just couldn’t stand being beat up by me.” Rey pouted now, it was childish but almost adorable, though Poe tried to push those thoughts aside. She was sixteen, he was twenty-nine,  _ nearly thirty _ , he wasn’t supposed to think anything she did was adorable anymore. 

 

    “It’s an honor to lose to such a valiant fighter like you, Rey.” Poe smiled. “Can we get up now? There’s sand in my suit.” 

 

    Rey laughed and gave a nod before getting up on her feet, offering Poe a hand to get up out of the sand. Once he was back up on his feet and the two were brushing the sand off themselves, BB-8 rolled up to Rey and nudged at her feet, looking for his last minute attention before he and Poe would inevitably leave. 

 

    “If you’ve got to get the sand out of your suit, you can go inside. I’ll stay out here with Beebee-Ate.” Rey said, not even glancing up while saying it, just kneeling down to BB-8’s height and fixing his antenna that somehow always managed to get bent after a dogfight. 

 

    If there was anything Poe absolutely hated more than anything, it was sand in places where it shouldn’t be, Rey got a kick out of it since she lived almost constantly with that feeling. He was tempted to just deal with it until he got back to the base, but it was trickling down his back, it was up his sleeves and down his legs, it was driving him insane. 

 

    “Fine.” Poe sighed. “I’ll be out in a minute.” 

 

    Rey nodded and worked on BB-8’s antenna, again not even casting a glance up at Poe as he walked off. As soon as he walked into the AT-AT, he kicked his boots off and started unbuckling and unzipping his suit, the thought of finally getting rid of the sand being the only thing on his mind. As soon as he stipped down to his boxers, he started brushing whatever sand was stuck to him off and shaking his suit out. While he shook the last of it out, he couldn’t help but feel like there was something, or rather,  _ someone _ watching him. His hunch was right when he turned around and saw Rey curiously peeking around the corner, she ran off as soon as he spotted her, but he knew it was her nonetheless. He couldn’t help but stifle a laugh before rushing his suit back on, he should have known she was trying something from just her offer alone. 

 

    Once he got his suit on and boots pulled back onto his feet, Poe walked outside and saw BB-8 staring up at the top of the AT-AT where Rey was perched, her knees tucked up close to her chest and buried to hide her blushing. 

 

    “Sorry.” She mumbled. 

 

    “So you’re a peeper, huh?” Poe asked with an amused grin. 

 

    “ _ Oh god, _ I’m so sorry.” Rey groaned, still refusing to show her face. “I don’t even know why I did it.” 

 

    “It’s okay.” Poe shrugged. “Hey, when I was sixteen I tried to watch a few girls changing.” 

 

    “What happened?” Rey asked. 

 

    “Oh, they kicked my ass and told me if I ever did that again they’d blast my eyes out.” Poe laughed. “But I’m not worried about it, so you checked me out, you’re on a desert planet where there’s not much to look at, it’s fine.” 

 

    Rey pulled her face up, her cheeks were bright red and she looked incredibly guilty. 

 

    “Rey, it’s fine, really.” Poe said. “You’re sixteen, you’re hormones are kicking-” 

 

    “Ugh, let’s stop there.” Rey grumbled. “I’m sorry.” 

 

    “It’s okay.” Poe reassured her. “I gotta get going, you mind climbing down so I can say goodbye?” 

 

    “Are you still gonna come back?” Rey asked. 

 

    “As long as you let me, I always will.” Poe smiled. 

 

* * *

 

**_Present Day_ **

 

    The sun was barely rising over the base and Poe woke up on the dot, as always. Rey was still fast asleep, she’d turned over in the middle of the night and was happily bundled up under the many blankets Poe had on his bed. He’d gotten up in the middle of the night and changed into a plain shirt and just his boxers, he was pretty sure he didn’t have to fly out on a mission today, so he could dress in civilian clothes for now. He changed out of his shirt and grabbed a long sleeve one of of his drawer, he had to admit that he missed his jacket, it was lost somewhere in the med bay after Finn came in, but he knew he’d get a new one eventually. Just as he was grabbing for a pair of pants, he noticed a set of brown eyes staring at him over the pile of blankets, quickly shutting them the moment she was spotted in the mirror. 

 

    “You still like to peek.” Poe laughed, pulling up his pants and zipping them up before turning to face Rey, still pretending to be fast asleep. “I know you’re awake Rey.” Poe walked over to the bed, hovering over her. 

 

    “No, I’m sleeping.” Rey mumbled as a grin crossed her face. 

 

    “Nice try.” Poe moved some of the blankets aside and sat beside her in bed, she opened up her eyes reluctantly, the grin still on her face. 

 

    “It was worth a shot.” Rey laughed. Her smile lasted for a moment only before it faded away to an expression filled with worry. “Have you heard about Finn yet?” 

 

    “No, I just got up, I’m gonna go check on him now.” Poe said. 

 

    “I’ll come with you.” Rey insisted, sitting up too quickly and causing her to wince at the pain that radiated from her back. 

 

    “No, you’re going to stay here in bed and get more rest.” Poe pulled the blankets back over her before leaning over and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t make me bring a med droid in here to watch over you.” 

 

    “Fine.” Rey sighed reluctantly. 

 

    “I’ll leave Beebee-Ate here with you.” Poe said, the droid chirped to life from his sleep mode and rolled over to Rey’s side. “Keep an eye on her buddy.” 

 

    BB-8 did exactly as he was told and focused all of his attention on Rey, Poe couldn’t help but crack a smirk at how diligent BB-8 actually was sometimes. 

 

    “Please get some rest, I’ll come back with something to eat after I check on Finn.” Poe sighed. 

 

    Rey nodded and reached out to affectionately pat BB-8 on the head while he chirped back happily. For a minute Poe was so tempted to just steal a kiss from her, it’d been so long since they last kissed, the last time he kissed her, he promised her he’d take her off of Jakku. She was finally off of that awful planet, but all she had to go through to get here, all the danger she had to face, he couldn’t help but feel responsible for all that had happened to her. He resisted his urge and turned towards the door, walking out and hoping that someday he’d be able to make it up to Rey for everything, from leaving her on Jakku so many years ago, to not being there to get her out of there safely. 

 

* * *

  
  


    Rey was starving, she didn’t know it until Poe finally brought the food into the room and realized how good it smelled and that she hadn’t eaten in a day or two. She stuffed her face and Poe was more than kind to point out when she had something on her face and wipe it away without a second thought. After she had some food in her stomach, she knew she had to ask Poe what was wrong, he had been acting strange since last night. He had nightmares, she woke up once or twice with him, but he kept screaming and waking up covered in sweat, he had dark circles under his eyes and looked so distant for the first time she ever could recall. 

 

    “Are you okay?” Rey asked quietly.

 

    “I’m fine.” Poe assured her. “You?” 

 

    “Better than you from the looks of it.” Rey pointed out, pushing her tray of food aside for the moment so she could scoot closer to him. 

 

    “I’ll be fine, I just need some rest.” Poe sighed. 

 

    Rey nodded, she knew Poe was worrying, he had a habit of doing that as she had learned over the years. He was worried about Finn, though according to him from the nurses, Finn would wake up in a few weeks with a scar and mostly sore, but otherwise alright; he was worried about her, he didn’t say it but she could see it, he watched her every move and every wince as pain tugged at her. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, it was nothing passionate like they usually kissed, just soft and simple, something to reassure him that everything would be alright. He kissed her back, wrapping a hand around her waist and pulling her closer, she gladly obliged. When he finally pulled away a smile spread across his face slowly, it look as if he hadn’t smiled in years and Rey was more than happy to be the cause of it after the past few days. 

 

    “Everything will be okay.” She said. 

  
    “I know.” Poe answered, pressing his forehead against hers and resting there, enjoying the silence and peace in their room. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was a little torn on what I wanted to do for this chapter, though ultimately I decided it wasn't the right time for a certain, uh, element to be introduced, you can probably guess what it is by the middle of the chapter. Either way, I don't think there will be flashes of the present in the next few chapters while it shows bits from the movie that I'm altering to fit this story, but I'm not certain yet, we'll just have to wait and see! I hope you enjoy the chapter either way :3

**_1 Year Ago_ **

 

    Today’s visit wasn’t like all of Poe’s other visits, there was a heaviness to their usually friendly visits, all had been fine until Poe said the words Rey always dreaded -  _ I’m going to be gone for a while _ . He’d usually tell her how long and she’d feel better, but he had no idea weather it’d be a week or a month, and this particular mission was incredibly dangerous, dealing directly with the first order. Poe the continued on to say what Rey wished she never had to hear him say -  _ I might not come back this time.  _

 

    “You’ll come back, you always do, you have to.” Rey said, she wasn’t going to accept that Poe could die on this mission, that  _ her _ Poe could die ever. 

 

    “I might not.” Poe sighed. 

 

    “Stop. Saying that.” Rey snapped, she wouldn’t accept it, he wasn’t going to die, she wouldn’t let him. 

 

    “Just let me tell you what will happen to you if I die.” Poe protested. 

 

    “What do you mean?” Rey asked confused, BB-8 nudging her leg in attempts to get her to sit beside him instead of standing over him and Poe. 

 

    Rey took a seat down on the floor of the AT-AT, there was really no place that was comfortable in the entire place, but she had accepted that fact a long time ago. 

 

    “When I die-” 

 

    “If you die.” Rey automatically corrected him, she was almost desperate to get up and grab her pilot doll off the shelf and hug it close to her chest, something she still did to this day when she knew Poe was out on a mission. 

 

    “...If I die.” Poe said now. “If I die, I want Beebee-Ate to be with you, he cares about you and you care about him, you’ll keep each other company.” Poe said with a faint smile. “And, if I die, there’s one other person still with the Resistance who knows where you are, she’s not a pilot anymore but she can still fly, she’ll come for you, I already told her everything. A woman named Aliciya Hulewinn will come for you and take you back to the base, where Beebee-Ate will be, and they can keep you safe there. I’ve already got a plan to get you out of here soon but, if I die, Aliciya will get you off Jakku.” 

 

    “Wait...you have a plan for me to leave Jakku?” Rey asked curiously. 

 

   “I’ve had it for a while, it wasn’t to bring you to the base, but it would have been somewhere safe, somewhere better than this place.” Poe sighed. “I was trying to wait until you were older, I’ve been thinking about moving you for a few months but now...it’s too late.” 

 

    “If you come back I can leave.” Rey answered right away. “We can leave Jakku.” 

 

    “We’ll figured it out, I promise.” Poe smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand gently. 

 

    The rest of the visit went by fairly quickly and mostly silent, it was when Poe was getting ready to board his X-Wing and leave that the visit became interesting. Rey had been thinking about it the entire time he was there, and him telling her the very real possibility of his death had only pushed her over the edge. As he went to hug her goodbye, Rey grabbed him by the collar of his flight suit and pulled him down to her, her lips meeting his in her attempts at a kiss, her first kiss to be exact. She was more than relieved when Poe’s hands rested on her waist and started taking over, making it much easier to follow his lead as opposed to her trying to navigate her way through a kiss. She had dreams about kissing Poe, but she had to admit that it was nothing close to the actual kiss, kissing Poe was electric, and she was sure they would have stayed like that for a while, that is, if BB-8 hadn’t interrupted with his loud chirps of cheer. 

 

    “Now’s really not a good time, buddy.” Poe sighed, pulling away from Rey. 

 

    Rey couldn’t help but laugh a bit, she knew it very well may be the last time she saw Poe, but she couldn’t help it. For that one moment she felt nothing but pure joy, she kissed Poe, BB-8 was his usual self, and for that moment in time everything was as she felt it should have been - peaceful. 

 

    “You’ll come back, I know you will.” Rey said with a smile and gave him another quick kiss. “I have my good luck charm, remember?” 

 

    “Right, the doll, you better hold onto that thing tight, I don’t plan on dying just yet.” Poe smirked, pressing a kiss to Rey’s forehead. 

 

    “You won’t.” Rey said with such assurance that she almost fooled herself into believing that with those simple words, Poe Dameron would not die. 

 

* * *

  
  


    It had been one week since Rey had heard from Poe, it wasn’t unusual to say the least, sometimes he’d go two months without being able to come and see her, but after that talk - and most of all  _ that kiss _ \- she worried more with each day that passed. Every night she hugged that doll close to her chest, praying that Poe would be safe until exhaustion would take hold of her for the evening. Rey watched the sky everyday no matter where she was, longing for the sight of Poe’s X-Wing and hoping to never see an unfamiliar ship land at her home bearing the horrible news of his death. She was just dismounting her speeder when she was relieved to hear the familiar hum of Poe’s X-Wing coming in for a landing. She pulled her mask back over her face as the sand kicked up while he landed, she noticed a lack of BB-8 in his usual co-pilot position and had a moment of doubt before she saw Poe climb out. 

 

    Rey charged towards him, her arms wrapping around him instantly as Poe gave a laugh and took the mask off her face so he could actually see her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead with a smile, and Rey couldn't have been happier. 

 

    “You came back.” Rey was so happy she was almost on the verge of tears, he always came back, but there were missions like these that always made her worry. 

 

    “That good luck charm of yours.” Poe smirked. 

 

    Rey pulled away and kissed Poe with every ounce of passion and happiness she had, Poe responded almost immediately and Rey couldn't have been happier. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss, getting a moan out of Poe before she pulled away with a smile. 

 

    “Do you think you could stay for a bit?” Rey asked bravely, for once she didn’t feel so nervous and tentative around him. 

 

    “I could be talked into it.” Poe smirked. 

 

* * *

  
  


**_Present Day_ **

 

    “What? She just got here and you want to launch her out halfway across the galaxy to go find Luke  _ alone _ ?” Poe snapped, he never let his anger get the best of him, especially in meetings with the General and the Admirals, but this was too much. He finally got Rey back in his arms, somewhere safe and stable, and now they wanted to take her away from him - again. “No, I’m going with her.” 

 

    “Poe, we need you here with the others. We have to move the base now that the First Order knows where we are, who knows who survived from the Starkiller base, we can’t risk staying here.” Leia said with a sigh. “We’ll keep in contact with Rey and let her know where we are if we move before she comes back, but she needs to find Luke and you need to stay here.” 

 

    Poe wanted to protest, to insist that he needed to be with Rey more than he was needed here, but he knew that wasn’t true. The Resistance needed him and Rey was more than capable of taking care of herself, that’s what she always told him either way. 

 

    “She won’t be leaving right away, I want her to heal and rest up, it’s a long journey and who knows how long Luke will keep her there before she convinces him to come back to us. Maybe next week we’ll send her out.” Leia said. 

 

    Poe nodded, he didn’t have much else to say, he couldn’t fight to go with Rey, and he certainly wouldn’t be able to fight to stop her from going. He had one week to be with Rey, in between his patrols and whatever else they threw in his face while they were preparing to move, he’d have to make it count. He left without another word, he was more than sure the meeting was over anyway after all they had discussed. All he wanted to do was find Rey and stay by her side for as long as he possibly could, he wasn’t ready to let go of her yet. He found her in the medical bay, watching over Finn despite the slight limp in her step and her clutching onto her bruised side. 

 

    “I figured I’d find you here.” Poe said with a smirk. “Want to go for a walk?” 

 

    “I guess.” Rey stifled a yawn. “Unless by a walk you mean finding the nearest place for me to sit, I’ve had worse.” 

 

    “We’ll go for an actual walk, but you’re gonna hold onto me, okay?” Poe asked as he held his arm out to her. 

 

    “Fine.” Rey mumbled. 

 

    They made out to the tarmac, watching the pilots tend to their X-Wing’s while Rey clutched onto Poe’s arm. He walked at a slow and even pace, he knew the injuries would catch up to her sooner or later. 

 

    “Wanna stop here?” Poe asked, nodding over to a box of piled up crates. 

 

    “Sure.” Rey huffed, she didn’t want to show that she was exhausted, but Poe could tell she was. 

 

    They sat side by side, enjoying the cool breeze that occasionally blew through the hanger, Rey leaning against Poe’s shoulder with a smile on her face. 

 

    “For a while there, I never thought I’d see this super secret base that you worked at.” Rey smiled. 

 

    “Well, here it is.” Poe laughed. “...Do you know what they want to do with you about Luke?” Poe asked curiously. 

 

    “Leia already told me, they want me to go after him and bring him back.” Rey sighed. “Sometime next week, depending on how I feel, but...I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave  _ you _ .” 

 

    “I know.” Poe sighed, pressing a kiss to the top her head and pulling her closer to him. “We’ve got a week, and I’m going to spend as much of it with you as I can.” 

 

    “Good.” Rey said. “Because I want you all to myself.” 

 

    Poe placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to him and a smile on her face. He couldn’t help but smile back before he leaned in and stole a kiss from her lips, something deep and passionate, and something they hadn’t been able to have in quite a while. 

 

    “What was that for?” Rey asked, a bit breathless as she pulled away. 

  
    “For luck.” Poe smirked. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I feel like this chapter took me forever to write, usually the chapters with smut in them take me a while because they end up so long, but either way, I hope you guys like it!

**_One Week Ago_ **

 

    After visiting Jakku for ten years, Poe still barely knew where anything was on the planet - the only person he care about was the only place he ever needed to know. Now he was here in someone’s hut, pretty far from Rey’s home from what he could judge before landing, and though he was so close to her, with the First Order hot on his trail, he would have to leave as soon as he got the map. It didn’t take long, or so it seemed, for BB-8 to roll in and exclaim in a flurry of worried beeps that the First Order was here. Once Poe spotted them with his own eyes through binoculars outside the hut, Poe knew it would be tough to escape them now, but still possible. 

 

    “You need to hide.” Poe said to Lor San Tekka, the provider of the map. 

 

    “You need to leave.” Lor San Tekka stated. 

 

    Poe knew he had to leave, if he had any hopes of getting the map to General Organa, he had to leave  _ now _ , though he hated leaving without doing a damn thing. He quickly ran through the people and the burning village, BB-8 just ahead of him and getting ready to load into the X-Wing. Poe leaped up to climb into the ship, getting his helmet on and trying to start the X-Wing up as BB-8 beeped out warnings of the incoming troopers. A few shots hit the X-Wing and Poe knew they were in trouble even before he got the targeting system online. 

 

   “I see them!” Poe shouted back to his nervous droid as he shot a few troopers down with the cannons. 

 

    Knowing the X-Wing wouldn’t fly again after the hits it took, Poe grabbed his blaster from the cockpit and disembarked the ship as BB-8 came down as well. When the droid was at his side, Poe kneeled down in front of him, knowing they only had a little bit of time before they would be spotted. He took the small bag out of his pocket and took the small shard out, holding it out to BB-8. 

 

    “Take this buddy and go find Rey.” Poe stated. “Get her to the base along with the map, she’s not safe here anymore.”

 

    BB-8 opened his little compartment and secured the map before letting out a few beeps of protest. 

 

    “Find Rey, get her somewhere safe.” Poe stated again. “I’ll find you again, just go!” 

 

    As BB-8 rolled off over the sandy hills in his great quest to find Rey, Poe couldn’t help the sinking feeling in his gut that he may never see either of them again. 

 

* * *

  
  


    It had been another long and hot day on Jakku, then again, everyday on Jakku was long and hot. Her muscles were aching, she ate just enough to hold herself over for the night, and she was enjoying the last glimpse of sunlight before night would fall and all the creatures came crawling out. Rey was almost entirely relaxed, until a distressed yet familiar beeping pierced through the silence, causing Rey to cast aside her old pilot helmet and spring into action. There, trapped in a Teedo’s net not too far away from her home, was none other than BB-8. and for a moment, Rey’s heart stopped beating. If BB-8 was here alone, it only meant one thing, and it was something Rey never hoped would come true. Rey chased the awful Teedo off, cutting the little droid free from the net, and wrapping her arms around him immediately, pulling the dorid in for a hug. 

 

    “Where’s Poe?” Rey asked frantically, pulling away from the droid. 

 

    BB-8 explained what happened as best as he could, trying to say he didn’t know if Poe was alive or dead, but that they needed to leave. 

 

    “The First Order?” Rey asked while BB-8 beeped in confirmation. “When did you last see Poe?” 

 

    The little droid gave his response, that Poe gave him the map that leads to Luke Skywalker and that his mission was to get Rey and the map back to the base. 

 

    “We have to find Poe first, maybe he hid in one of the villages, or maybe he found another way to escape and someone saw something, or maybe…” Rey drifted off and swallowed hard. “We’ll find him. First thing in the morning we’re going to Niima Outpost, we’ll get a ship...somehow...and we’ll find out what happened to Poe and the village.” 

 

    BB-8 beeped in a hesitant agreement with that, hoping that some sleep would convince Rey to go to the base as Poe ordered instead of going out to look for him and risk their lives, as well as the map. 

 

* * *

  
  


    The interior of the Star Destroyer was sleek and dark, it was too clean and put together for Poe’s liking, it resembled the horrible uniformity the Order stood for. Poe was beaten and bloodied, the Stormtroopers tried to break him, but they weren’t able to get him to crack. They had given up for the moment, Poe was able to catch his breath and gather his thoughts, his head was scrambled, but he couldn’t give up the map no matter what. He thought of Rey, the last time he saw her face a few days ago, the tenth time he said goodbye to her in a year, and it seemed like this one was finally the last goodbye. Poe wanted to get her out of Jakku desperately, but now at least BB-8 would be getting her to civilization, to somewhere filled with people, and given better living quarters as well as food that lasted her more than a night, more food than she had probably seen in the last ten years. The doors slid open with a hiss as Poe assumed this was his end, but when he came face to face with Kylo Ren, he knew something far worse was coming his way. 

 

* * *

 

**_Present_ **

 

_ The girl? Tell me more about the girl.” Kylo Ren’s voice haunted Poe.  _

 

_     “Never.” Poe spat back, he’d never let Rey be captured by someone as vile as Kylo Ren.  _

 

_     The Force would inflict more pain, Poe would scream, but he never told Kylo Ren a thing about Rey; at least he had done that much.  _

 

    Poe woke up gasping for air, he felt as if Kylo Ren was still in his head, poking and prodding around for information on Rey he had never give up. He looked over and saw Rey still curled up, fast asleep and trying to pull all the blankets up around her. Poe smiled and stole some of the blankets back, wrapping his arms around her and causing her to wake up now, groaning and turning around in his arms to face him. 

 

    “What’s wrong?” Rey mumbled, stroking his hair back and pressing a kiss to his nose. “Nightmare?” 

 

    “Yeah.” Poe sighed. “It’s fine, it’ll go away eventually.” He assured her. 

 

    “Then I’ll stay awake with you until you fall asleep.” Rey smiled. 

 

    “You need to sleep too.” Poe protested. 

 

    “I’m grounded for a few days, I can get plenty of sleep, you need sleep more than I do right now.” Rey giggled. 

 

    She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek a few times, Rey’s happiness was able to ease away the pain of the nightmares. Poe kissed her back, and once their lips met, the familiar spark that had always been between them caused Poe to smile into their kiss. His hands began to rub up the side of her body, running up her clothes but never going up but never going up further than just under her breasts, they had been intimate before on one of the many occasions Poe thought he’d never come back, but they had never been together properly the way Poe wanted her first time to be; they weren’t in a bed, everything was a bit rushed and frantic, and while both got the release they wanted, but it wasn’t what Poe wanted for Rey. Now that they were here, safe and warm in his bed, he figured he could finally give her the proper attention she deserved during sex. 

 

    Poe let his kiss begin to wander a bit, he tested it out to see if Rey would be okay with having sex, his lips drifting to her neck and nipping at a particularly sensitive spot he knew of under her jaw line. She let out a small moan, her hand running through his hair, when she started arching up to meet his kiss a bit more, Poe knew she just might be open to the idea. 

 

    “I hope you don’t plan on keeping your lips there the entire night.” Rey laughed. 

 

    “You sure you’re okay with this?” Poe asked. 

 

    “I wouldn’t be letting you kiss me like this if I wasn’t.” Poe looked up and saw Rey grinning, finally getting the permission he wanted to go further. 

 

    His hands slid up under her loose shirt - his shirt that she stole to sleep in to be specific - and he starts nudging the shirt up inch by inch. Eventually, the slowness of his movements drove Rey  to slide her hands under his and just pull the shirt off herself, leaving Poe with just about every inch of her skin to kiss now. He stopped once he crawled on top of her, seeing all her bruises she had sustained over the past week of their separation from one another; the harsh dark purple marks standing out and screaming against her sunburnt skin. He felt a surge of guilt, in the matter of a week he managed to lose her, she charged blindly after him and searched the galaxy for him, encountering the deadly First Order along the way. Poe leaned down and kissed each one of her bruises, once he paused on one of the last bruises just under her ribs, Rey tugged on his hair a bit, bringing him up to her lips to kiss again, reassuring him again that she was alright. 

 

    “Are you ever going to stop worrying about me?” Rey asked with a bit of an amused grin once they parted from one another.

 

    “No, never.” Poe answered with a smile of his own, continuing his way kissing down her body again. 

 

    He took his time kissing down her body now, pausing right as he reached the waistband of her underwear. Poe pulled away, situating himself so he could start kissing down Rey’s legs, and right as he would reach the most sensitive part of her thigh on one side, Poe moved to the other and repeated the process. When Rey began squirming around the closer he got his lips to her entrance, he knew it would be torture to continue teasing her like this. He started slowly pulling her underwear down her legs, tossing them aside onto the floor somewhere to only be found again in the morning. Poe helped Rey get one of her legs over his shoulder, something that had been more uncomfortable than anything else back in the AT-AT on Jakku but was now easy and almost natural in all the space they had in Poe’s bed. 

 

    She was already wet and waiting for him, somewhere back on his trail of kisses must have set her off much to Poe’s surprise, back on Jakku it had taken a bit more work than just a few kisses. He sank one finger in her first, getting an immediate moan from Rey, her back arching up off the bed and trying to slide further down to meet the thrusts Poe started. His thumb started rubbing her clit, earning some louder moans pouring out of Rey, and Poe didn’t give a damn who heard them though the thin walls of the base. After a few moments of watching Rey and getting more than his fill to cause a growing uncomfortableness in his boxers, Poe added in another finger and replaced his thumb with his tongue. 

 

    “God, Poe!” Rey reached down and tangled her fingers in his hair again, holding him exactly where she wanted him. 

 

    Poe let out a moan into her that only made one of Rey’s growing moans even louder and her thrusts down to him a bit out of pace, telling him she was close. It only took him a few more thrusts and putting his tongue in the right place to give Rey what she wanted her body shaking, panting, a layer of sweat on her, and one long and loud moan that went straight to his pants, driving him crazy. Poe pulled away, kissing every sensitive area he could find before meeting Rey’s lips again, grinding himself against her lower abdomen, knowing he had to do something soon if he wanted to keep his composure, though never wanted to rush Rey. 

 

     “Not bad for a pilot.” Rey said in a taunting manner, knowing just how it would drive him nuts, but getting a grin out of him all the same. 

 

    “I thought Jedi were supposed to be humble?” Poe asked. 

 

    “I’m not a Jedi yet.” Rey smirked as she leaned up and stole a quick kiss, slipping her hands under the waistband of his boxers and quickly tossing them aside. 

 

    “You are so not a Jedi yet.” Poe’s voice became incredibly low and husky before he covered Rey’s lips with his own and slowly sank himself into her. 

 

    Rey let out a low and chesty moan, she was clamped down around him, her nails digging into his back, and all Poe could think about was how good it all felt. His pace started out slow and steady, he wanted nothing more than to ravage her, but hearing Rey’s pants and moans as she reacted to every thrust made it worth it. 

 

    “Oh god, Poe.” Rey moaned. 

 

    “You should really stop saying this like that if you want this to last.” Poe managed to grunt out between his gritted teeth. 

 

    Rey couldn’t respond, a moan taking the comeback right out of her as Poe rubbed up against just the right angle. It didn’t take long for Rey to wrap her legs around Poe’s waist and start trying to match up to his thrusts again, pushing up against him more in attempts to bring him dangerously close to the edge. Poe’s breathing began to become a bit erratic no matter how hard he tried to steady it, he knew at the rate Rey was going that he’d lose control before she did, and he had to find a way to put the situation back in his favor. Kissing her sensitive spot on her neck only earned a few low moans while she kept meeting his thrusts, clawing at his back. As Poe made his way down her body further, trying to stay focused, it didn’t take long for him to start getting a different moan out of Rey once his kisses wandered to her breasts. Her back arched up, her nails dug into his back again, and judging from how hard she was clutching onto him, Poe knew it was a matter of time now. 

 

    “ _ Poe, oh, Poe _ .” Rey was panting heavily now, managing to barely get the words past her lips. 

 

    Poe paid an equal amount of attention to both of her breasts, and before he knew it her walls were clamping down around him as she let herself come undone for the second time that night. It was a combination of her moans and final thrusts that gave way to Poe finally reaching an orgasm of his own, a mixture of moans and groans as well as Rey’s name coming out in one incoherent sentence. He gave his final few thrusts, enjoying Rey’s warmth before stilling finally inside of her - out of breath and out of energy. Poe collapsed beside her, a layer of sweat making him want to kick the covers off from all the unbearable heat, yet when Rey curled up beside him, her head resting on his chest with a content smile on her face, Poe didn’t mind the heat so much as long as it was hers. She pressed a kiss to the bottom of his jaw, it was all she could reach without moving too much. 

 

    “Feeling better?” Rey asked quietly, burying her face into his chest again. 

 

    “Much better.” Poe grinned. “I love you, do you know that?” 

  
    “I know.” Rey smiled. “I love you too.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I think there should be one more chapter and this fic will be done! I've had a fun time writing this fic, but I have more to come!

**_Three Days Ago_ **

 

    The past few days had been nothing but a blur for Poe; he remembered the torture from Kylo Ren, he remembered being rescued by a former Stormtrooper named Finn - someone he was sure was dead after their crash on Jakku, and he remembered getting dragged back to the base by Captain Aliciya Hulewinn who was roaming around Rey’s AT-AT and looking to take Rey back to the base as she had promised Poe, assuming he was dead, but discovering Rey was missing in the process as well. He spent a few days in the medical bay before snapping out of his haze and hearing about a mission to Takodana after The First Order all but eliminated the Republic in one shot. He jumped into his X-Wing despite the protests from others, including the General herself, and flew out there trying to defend the innocent people currently being attacked by troopers and, reportedly, Kylo Ren himself. They arrived in no time, eliminating the TIE Fighters and shooting down at the troopers to save the civilians, but among them he swore he saw a familiar face. It wasn’t until they arrived back at D’Qar and Poe climbed out of his X-Wing that he was not only reunited with his faithful droid BB-8, but his friend Finn as well. 

 

    “Buddy!” Poe cheered as he hugged Finn tightly, happy to see that he made it through the crash on Jakku as well. 

 

    “I thought you were dead!” Finn said once they pulled apart from their hug. 

 

    “I thought you were dead too, and you...have my jacket.” Poe noticed. Finn went to take it off and return it to him, but Poe stopped him. “Keep it, it suits you.” 

 

    Before Poe or Finn could say anything else, BB-8 started beeping rapidly, telling the tale of how he found Rey as he was supposed to, and how they met Finn and escaped the planet, how they ran into Han Solo and Chewbacca, and most importantly - how Kylo Ren stole Rey away from them. 

 

    “What?!” Poe exclaimed. “When did he take her?” 

 

    “When we were on Takodana, he flew off with her a few moments before the fight ended. Rey knew you, she told me all about you, we have to get her back.” Finn explained. 

 

    “You’re damn right we have to.” Poe was trying to keep it together, the monster who probed his mind and caused him so much pain had stolen away the only person in the galaxy he truly cared about, the only person he  _ loved _ , and who knows what he planned to do to here. “Where would he take her?” 

 

    “There’s only one place I know of where they would go, the Starkiller base.” Finn sighed. “It’s nearly impossible to get into unless you’re part of the Order, but...I think I’ve got an idea.” 

 

    “Care to share it with the General?” Poe asked. 

 

* * *

  
  


    It was a crazy plan, completely insane to be correct, but Poe would agree to just about any plan as long as he got Rey back. Finn, Han, and Chewbacca would be flying to the base first - and making a landing at lightspeed - before going in and disabling the shields. After that, it was up to Poe and his squadrons to blow up what kept the weapon stable on the base, but as soon as they would enter the atmosphere, there would be First Order TIE Fighters on them and making things a bit difficult. Poe would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little nervous, he was, and right now what drove him was his determination to get Rey back and somewhere safe. BB-8 was pulled up into his co-pilot seat, chirping words of encouragement of how they would get Rey back, and Poe climbed into the pilot’s seat, staring at the picture Rey drew that he had sitting in the dashboard that he saved from the wreckage of his last ship before he was captured and before it was blown up. It was a self portrait she had done of herself, she had gotten amazing at drawing over the years of being left on Jakku with little else to do in her free time whenever he wasn’t there. He still didn’t know how she managed to draw herself so well, but he held onto it and kept it close, always reminding himself why he was going through all of this aside from following in his parents footsteps - he wanted to keep Rey safe. 

 

    “We’ll get her back, buddy, I know we will.” Poe reassured the little droid, putting the picture in his pocket inside his flight suit just in case. 

 

    BB-8 chirped a few cheerful thoughts before Poe started up the X-Wing, waiting for the other squadrons to come online before takeoff. The Falcon had left about ten minutes ago, they should have been on the Starkiller base by now and making their way to turn off the shields, Poe and the squadrons would be leaving in a few minutes. 

 

* * *

 

**_Present_ **

 

    Rey woke up with warm arms wrapped around her bare waist, something she hadn’t felt in a long time, and severely missed. She rolled over slowly and as quietly as she could, not wanting to disturb Poe from his peaceful slumber that he deserved after the nightmare that woke him up. She brushed back some of his dark curls, noticing all the little bruises and silver scars that were scattered across his face, no matter how many scars and bruises covered him however, it was still the face of the man that she loved with her whole heart. He groaned a bit, refusing to wake up to her touch, and Rey couldn’t help but smile at how much he looked like a pouty child in that moment. Rey leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, his eyes fluttering open a bit - shutting almost right away again not wanting to face the sun. 

 

    “Why are you awake?” Poe asked, his voice groggy, and his arms pulling Rey closer, close enough for him to bury his face into her hair. 

 

    “I could ask you the same question.” Rey laughed a bit and kissed his temple now, wrapping her arms around his neck and enjoying the warmth. “Did you sleep alright?” 

 

    “Like a baby.” Poe pulled away slightly, his brown eyes still sleepy despite the big grin on his face. “Did you?” 

 

    “Same here.” Rey gave a slight sigh with a grin still on her face. “Do you want to get some breakfast? I’m hungry.” 

 

    “I’d imagine you are after all of that last night.” Poe laughed, pressing a few kisses to Rey’s cheek now. 

 

    BB-8 woke from his sleep mode then and there, his joyful chirps filling the room as he rolled over to the side of the bed, trying to figure out what was going on. 

 

    “Since when did you start waking up early too?” Poe asked the droid, peaking over Rey to see BB-8’s head peeking just over the edge. 

 

    “I guess that means it’s breakfast time.” Rey smirked. 

 

* * *

  
  


    A week passed, and it was finally time for Rey to go and find Luke Skywalker. The Falcon was completely prepped, thanks to Chewbacca and R2 helping Rey. It was time for her to leave, it seemed like the whole Resistance was gathered on the tarmac as she helped Chewbacca and R2 load up the final odds and ends for their adventure. Rey said her goodbye to Leia first, then when she came face to face with Poe, she almost wanted to hesitate and leave. He was dressed in his uniform, a rare sight since Poe seemed to practically live in his flight suit and something he only wore on special occasions. 

 

    “I’ll be back soon.” Rey promised. “I don’t know when, but I’ll be back, I promise.” 

 

    “Be careful out there.” Poe said, pulling her in for a kiss and not giving a damn about who was watching. 

 

    “I think I’ll manage.” Rey said with a grin as she pulled away. “You be careful too.” 

 

    “Always am.” Poe smirked and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come back soon.” 

 

    “I will.” Rey said. 

  
    With one final kiss between them, Rey parted from Poe and tried to hold back the few tears brimming up. She couldn’t afford to be so sensitive right now; she had been apart from Poe before and she could handle it again. But they had a week, something they never had before, and something Rey hoped they could desperately have again but certainly for a much longer time period. Once Rey got into the pilot seat beside Chewbacca and got ready for take off, she spotted Poe beside Leia and BB-8, waving goodbye, and Rey knew she’d be back soon, with any luck before she missed him too much. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, this is it, the very last chapter of this fic! I've loved this one a lot and I'm going to miss writing it, but eventually you have to let go of every story and move on to the next one just itching to be told, here's to more Damerey fics in the future!

    In total, it took Rey a month to convince Luke to return to his sister. The base had moved to a new planet, though one she was sure she had heard of before - Yavin 4. Luke said he could sense there was always something distracting Rey and that in hopes of eliminating this distraction, he would return to the base with her. She tried her best to hide that it was Poe always on her mind, the pilot she missed so dearly but got daily messages from him thanks to R2-D2 keeping her up to date. She just wanted to be back by his side again, to feel his arms around her and to know that he was there for her. 

 

    “Poe’s home.” Rey said out loud during the long trip to Yavin 4, she finally pieced together where she had heard the name before - it was Poe’s home planet. 

 

    “Poe? Who’s Poe?” Luke asked curiously as he walked into the cockpit with a smirk on his face, R2 beeping beside him and starting to explain who Poe Dameron was, though thankfully leaving out the personal details which Rey more than appreciated. 

 

    “He’s a friend of mine.” Rey tried to say innocently. “I met him at the base after the Starkiller, he’s a pilot and I’m a pilot so we just clicked I suppose.” 

 

    “Huh, Dameron. He must be Kes and Shara’s son.” Luke said. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time. I don’t see the two of you being friends though.” 

 

    “What do you mean?” Rey asked, a bit offended. 

 

    “Well, you’ve let your mind wander since I asked who Poe was and I saw some vivid memories from the past ten years.” Luke gave a slight chuckle. 

 

   Rey’s cheeks became bright red, the blush quickly taking over her along with some embarrassment. She had spent so long trying to keep Poe a secret and in one minute of letting her guard down, the secret was completely out for all to know. 

 

    “I’m not like the Jedi before me.” Luke said with a smile. “I don’t care if you have an affection or attachment to someone, you just can’t let them cloud your thoughts so much.” 

 

    “I...I, uh, I love him.” Rey admitted shyly, her cheeks still bright red. 

 

    “I don’t know Poe Dameron, but his mother and father were good people, and from what I can piece together of him from your...less private memories...he seems like a good man as well.” Luke said, Rey just kept feeling the embarrassment crawl up on her, knowing that Luke had managed to see just about everything in a few glances. “If being back by him will help you regain the focus you need to continue your training, then I’m more than happy that we’re going to the base.” 

 

    “What about seeing your sister?” Rey asked curiously, Luke talked about Leia fondly in past memories, but seldom did he mention his excitement for reuniting with her again. 

 

    “Leia...I feel as if it’s time I finally apologized for what happened, with Ben.” Luke sighed. “I should have seen it happening sooner, and instead I let him slip right through my fingers. He turned on me, the Order, and even his own family, sometimes I feel that even sorry won’t be enough.” 

 

    “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you regardless, you’re her brother, you’re all she has left.” Rey said. 

 

* * *

  
  


    Yavin 4 was different from D’Qar - the forests were more dense, there were rivers and lakes in every direction, and from the moment Rey stepped off the Falcon and onto the tarmac of the new base, she could tell there was far more humidity than D’Qar ever had. She liked it, Rey loved seeing new planets and places, and knowing that this was where Poe had grown up, it made her like the planet even more. 

 

    “I wonder if the tree is still here.” Luke mumbled as he disembarked the Falcon, being greeted by the ever growing wave of people surrounding the Falcon. 

 

    Rey spotted Leia, C-3PO, and a few other familiar faces of pilots she had seen before she left the base, but there was still no Finn, and there was no Poe to be seen. Her heart sank a bit, she’d spent an entire month sending messages, thinking of him, holding on to all her fond memories of him - and he was nowhere to be seen. Rey sulked as she made her way off the loading dock of the freighter, slowly making her way through the crowds and hoping to wait just on the edge of all the mess, waiting for instructions from Leia on where she’d be staying in this new base. 

 

    “Rey!” She heard Leia call out to her, Rey stopped in her place and turned to face Leia with a questioning look, catching the sight of a few X-Wings landing on the other end of the tarmac. “Don’t you want to see Poe?” She asked. 

 

    Rey looked at the X-Wings closer, and among them she spotted Poe’s black T-70 X-Wing finally making a landing and her heart soared.  She dropped everything she was carrying and ran towards him with all her might, cutting through masses of people just to stand right beside the X-Wing as he landed; and for a brief moment, Rey felt like she was a young girl again, waiting on that desert planet and rushing to the sound of the X-Wing landing, anxious and excited to see the only person in the world who cared about her enough to always come back. 

 

    “POE!” Rey shouted up in excitement as the X-Wing engines started humming to a halt while she was greeted by the sounds of BB-8 before the hatch popped open. “POE!” Rey shouted again. 

 

    Poe didn’t answer, instead he just climbed out with a smile plastered on his face, and as he came down to the ground, he wrapped his arms around Rey immediately and buried his face in her neck, holding her close and refusing to let go. 

 

    “I got the call that you were coming today from Leia a few minutes ago, I pulled the whole squadron in early from patrol so I could be here.” Poe said, scanning her face now as if he couldn’t believe she was finally back at his side. “I missed you so much.” His voice was low and husky now, speaking the truth of his thoughts that had haunted him since she left. 

 

    “I missed you too.” Rey said before leaning in, taking the kiss she had longed for so desperately over the past month. 

 

    It was like a spark passed through them, something Rey hadn’t felt so obviously since the first time she had kissed him. She pulled him in closer, parting her lips for him almost immediately and perhaps moaning a bit too loudly into the kiss that she would have cared for in public. She missed him, she missed his hands on her waist and cupping her cheek, she missed the smell of oil and earth that was so distinct to Poe, and she missed his warmth - knowing he was by her side made everything else worth it. She could have stayed blissfully lost in that kiss forever, but as soon as someone cleared their throat not far from them, they pulled apart out of breath and with brightly flushed cheeks. 

 

    “Sorry.” Rey said with a small shrug before biting down on her lower lip, looking up at Leia who just gave her a smirk and couldn’t help but laugh a bit. 

 

    “I just came over here to tell you two lovebirds that I have the rest of Poe’s patrol handled, he has the day off, as do you Rey. Go get yourself settled.” Leia said. 

 

    “Where am I going to be staying?” Rey asked curiously. 

 

    “Are you actually trying to say that you’re not going to be sneaking into his room at every chance you get?” Leia asked with a laugh this time. “If you want your own room, I’ll find you one, but Poe’s room is more than big enough for the both of you.” 

 

    “Oh, well, if he doesn’t mind.” Rey said almost bashfully, grabbing Poe’s hand and giving it a tight squeeze. 

 

    “I wouldn’t mind at all.” Poe smirked and pressed a kiss to Rey’s temple unashamed of the audience watching them now. 

 

* * *

  
  


    Poe’s room felt like home, more of a home than her old AT-AT back on Jakku ever had. He saved all of her things that she couldn’t bring with her to find Luke, her old rebel helmet was on a shelf next to her doll she made and loved more than anything else. Though the best part of the room was arguably the bed - not only did it get used for other activities, but Rey swore up and down that it was the comfiest thing she had ever slept on, more than happy to spend all her free time just lying in his bed. That was where Poe had found her, a week as she had settled into life on the base, and after an intense session of training with Luke in the morning, Rey was sprawled out on the bed and enjoying the comfort. 

 

    “Rough day?” Poe asked as he nudged Rey over and laid down beside her, letting her arm lie across his chest as he wove his fingers through her own. 

 

    “Everything hurts, this bed makes it feel so much better.” Rey mumbled as she rolled onto her side, snuggling up against Poe. 

 

    “I seem to recall something like this a few years ago. You had a hard day scavenging, you were sun burnt and almost exhausted to the bone, and you just snuggled up next to me for hours.” Poe said. 

 

    “That lead to our first time.” Rey laughed. 

 

    “I remember.” Poe smiled. “Trying to maneuver around in that AT-AT was the worst part.” 

 

    “You hit your head three times.” Rey laughed even more at the fondness of the memory. “And you were trying so hard to be gentle and sweet, but I wasn’t making it easy for you.” 

 

    “No, you weren’t. You kept clawing at me and kissing all the right places, not to mention the moaning and refusing to stay still, before I even started anything other than kissing you!” Poe exclaimed with a bit of a laugh this time. 

 

    “I was eager, alright.” Rey admitted with a slight blush. “I’d dreamed of that moment with you and I just wanted it to happen already.” 

 

    “I wouldn’t have had it happen any other way.” Poe gave her a soft grin before giving her a tight squeeze. 

 

    “I also remember when I was little, and I’d managed to befriend the nicest pilot I’d ever met. And when he left as he was supposed to, I remembered that promise he made to always come back for me, and when he did, being left on Jakku suddenly wasn’t so bad anymore.” Rey pulled herself up a bit, still in his grasp, and wiggled her way up to meet his lips, giving him a few sweet kisses before lying on his chest. 

 

    “Coming back for you was the best thing I’ve ever done, all those years led up to this right here, me getting to hold you and love you every moment of every day.” Poe smiled. “I love you Rey.” 

  
    “I love you too, Poe.” Rey smiled. 


End file.
